Can for films and the like



Oct. 17, 1961 R. A. LIGHTBURN 3,004,684

CAN FOR FILMS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 20, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

Reflex-ZAZQ/fiam ATTORNEY United States Patent fifice 3,004,684 Patented Oct. 11, 1961 3,004,684 CAN FOR FILMS AND THE LIKE Robert A. Lightburn, Lakeside Trail, Fayson Lakes, Butler, NJ. Filed Get. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 847,583 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-43) the edges of the film roll against damage and to prevent accumulations of dust or the like on the film. This can is unsatisfactory and objectionable in many ways. The edge of the open end of the body, that is, the rim of the cup-shaped body generally is rough and sharp so that the edge of the film frequently is nicked and the film is abraded by contact with the edge of the can upon insertion and removal of the film into and from the can body, respectively, and sometimes the fingers of the user are .cut by the sharp edge of the can. Furthermore, the

metal can often rusts or corrodes. Also, the metal can easily becomes deformed or non-circular as a result of pressure applied to its side wall, so that it is difiicult to apply the cap and the cap does not accurately fit the body.

Furthermore, the metal can easily becomes dented by I blows on the side wall and such dents interfere with the insertion and removal of the film roll. The metal can also has a head or exterior circumferential rib pressed in the side wall of the body, for example by a die or by a spinning operation to provide a stop or abutment for the edge of the cover, which is expensive to produce and does not ensure accurate and tight contact of the rim of the cover with said body.

It is essential that the cover or cap snugly fit the can body to exclude dust and moisture.

Generally the can body is made of a height or depth substantially equal to the width of the film roll so that the cover when in place on the body will engage the film roll and hold it against movement in the can, and sometimes difficulty is encountered in gripping the edge of the film roll with the fingers so as to remove the roll from the can.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a can for rolls of photographic film and the like which shall embody novel and improved features of construction whereby the above-mentioned objections to the presently known type of can shall be overcome.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can the body and cover of which shall be formed of a suitable synthetic plastic composition such as cellulose acetate, molded to provide the body and cap having the desired shape and dimensions, whereby the edge of the can body shall be smooth and the wall of the body shall be resistant to deformation and denting.

A further object is to provide a plastic can of this character which shall have a novel and improved circumferential rib molded integrally with and projecting from the exterior surface of the body and provided with a fiat shoulder facing toward the open end of the body and in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body, so as to provide a firm and accurate contact of the rim of the cover with said surface of substantial area thereby to ensure a dust-tight and substantially moisture-tight fit of the cover on the body and to provide for easy and firm gripping of the cover for removal of the same from the can body.

Other objects are to provide such a can embodying novel and improved features of construction whereby the edge of the film roll can be easily gripped by the thumb and fingers for removal of the roll from the can body, and to obtain other advantages and results of the invention which will be brought out by the following descrip tion in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a can embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged exploded combined side elevation and vertical section of the can body, cover and label;

FIGURE 3 is a central vertical sectional view through the can with the body and cover in assembled relation, the section being taken approximately in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the section in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the can as shown in FIGURE 3 with a portion of the label broken away; and

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the can body with the cover removed and with a film roll in the body. I

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention the reference character A designates the body of the can which is shown as cylindrical and cupshaped with a bottom wall 1, a cylindrical side wall 2 and an open end 3 which is normally closable by a molded plastic inverted cup-shaped cover or cap B. The body A of the can is formed of a suitable synthetic plastic composition that is non-corrosive and will not chem.- ically affect or migrate to the film, for example, cellulose acetate, and the body is molded according to known methods. The dimensions of the body may vary according to the diameter and length of the roll of film or the like that is to be packed in the can. The plastic composition is such that the surfaces of the molded body are smooth and relatively hard, and the side wall 2 of the body has an inherent resiliency to provide for some yielding of the wall under pressure or blows without cracking and at the same time provide for return of the wall to its true cylindrical shape. Where the bodies are, for example, about one and one-half inches in length and about the same exterior diameter, the wall thickness may be of the order of six hundredths of an inch.

Spaced inwardly from the open end or mouth 3 of the body are exterior segmental circumferential ribs or flanges 4- that have flat shoulder surfaces 5 facing toward the open end of the body and in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the body to be abutted by a smooth flat surface 6 on the edge of the flange or skirt 7 of the cover B for limiting sliding of the cover onto the body and to reduce the possibility of the edge of said cover being accidentally engaged with external objects and thereby knocked off the can. To provide a firm accurate and dust-tight fit of the cover on the body, the body has an exterior slightly conical circumferential surface S that tapers outwardly from the shoulders 5 to the rim of the body and has throughout its area a snug but sliding engagement with an interior similarly shaped circumferential surface it of the cover skirt 7. It will be understood that the conical or tapered surfaces 8 and 9 provide both draft in molding and an easy application and snug fit of the cover on the body.

The yielding resistance of the wall of the can to deformation under external pressure or blows and the memory or ability of the wall to return to its normal cylindrical shape after deformation, ensures always an accurate fit of the cover on the body. The resistance of the body wall to denting ensures always against any obstruction by dents to the insertion or removal of the film roll from the body. The smooth molded edge 10 of the open end or mouth of the body prevents nicking of the edges of the film and scratching of the surface of 3 the film and will not cut the fingers of the user. The molded abutment flanges 4 with their accurately formed shoulder surfaces 5, in conjunction with the accurately formed surface 6 on the cover skirt and the surfaces 8 and 9 of the body wall and skirt, ensure an accurate dust-tight and substantially moisture-tight fit of the cover on the body.

It will be observed that the segmental flanges or ribs 4 have spaces between their juxtaposed ends as indicated at 11 and that the edge 6 of the cover flange is freely exposedin said spaces so that said exposed portions of the cover flange can be gripped by the fingers for easy pulling of the cover from the can body.

As hereinbefore pointed out, the film roll usually is of a width about the same as the depth of the can body and its upper edge is therefore approximately flush with the edge It of the can body so that removal of the film roll from the can body is difficult.

' To overcome this difiiculty a notch 16' is provided in the upper edge portion of the can body outwardly or upwardly tror njthe plane of the segmental flanges 4. A film roll is illustrated in FIGURE and designated 12, and it will be readily seen that a portion of the upper or outer edge of the film roll will be exposed in the notch 11; so that the upper edge of the film roll can be gripped, for example, by the thumb and index finger of a person to facilitate the removal of the film roll from the can. body. The segmental flange 4 in juxtaposed position to the notch, reinforces the Wall of the can body in such a way to compensate for any weakening of the edge of the can body due to the presence of the notch.

' It is also desirablethatthe cap have a recess 13 molded inthe exterior surface of its top Wall 1 4 to receive a label Q1: the like 15 for identification of the contents of thes n.-

What Iclaim is:

A can for rolls of film or the like, comprising a molded cup-like body of synthetic plastic material having a bottom w-all and an integral dent-resistant, resiliently deformable side wall inherently capable of returning to its normal shape after deformation and providing an open end opposite said bottom wall formed by the edge of the side Wall whose plane is perpendicular to the axis of the body, and a molded cap of synthetic plastic material removably connectedto said-body to close said open end, said cap, having, an inverted cup-shape and comprising a top Wall and an annular depending skirt flange having a flat edge surface encircling the rim portion of said side Wall of the body exteriorly thereof for closing said open end, and there being exterior circumferential segmental flanges molded on said body in spaced apart relation circumferentially of the body inwardly of said open end providing flat upper surfaces forming abutments in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of said body engaged by the fiat edge surface of said skirt flange when the cap is fitted on said body and exposing a portion of said edge of said I skirt flange between them so that said exposed portions of the edge can be easily gripped by the fingers for removal of the cover, the rim portion of said bodyoutwardly of said flanges and the inner surface of said skirt flange having complemental conically tapered surfaces for snug mutual frictional engagement as the cover isapplied to the body, said rim portion of the body having at least one finger notch to facilitate gripping of the edge portion of a film roll within said body, said notch being disposed between one of said segmental flanges and said edge of said side wall of the body in offset relation circumferentially of the body to the spaces between said segmental fianges whereby the portion of the body side Wall adjacent said notch is reinforced by said segmental flange.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,904 6 R ym n Apr. 8 9 2,317,269 Hammarstrom Apr. 20, 1943 2,780,385 Tupper Feb. 5, 1957 2,887,244 Betner May 19, 1959 2,888,132 Guyer May 26, 1959 

